Announcing ARC+ St. Vincent
by World Cruising Club 3 Jun 2018 10:27 UTC
ARC St. Vincent - Blue Lagoon © World Cruising
We are delighted announce a new alternative route option for ARC+ this November - ARC+ St. Vincent!
Demand for spaces on ARC+ has grown year on year since the inaugural event in 2013, being full to capacity for the last two years. This year has proved no exception; with a full entry list by mid January, and limit on the number of entries due to marina capacity in Mindelo, a waiting list was started, which is now in excess of ten yachts.
With the support of our host marinas at the start in Las Palmas, the stopover in Mindelo, and with the addition of a new destination in the Caribbean we are now able to offer extra capacity on the popular ARC+ route, with a second slightly later start and an alternative finish in St. Vincent.
New Start Date Added
ARC+ St. Vincent will set off from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Thursday 15 November, four days after the ARC+ start bound for Saint Lucia, with a full week of activities, seminars, and parties to enjoy. Additionally all the other pre-start ARC discounts are available to ARC+ participants, including the extensive marina discounts en-route to Gran Canaria, the rally handbook and crew-match service. ARC+ St. Vincent sailors will be part of the ARC family at the start in Las Palmas, with the advantage of then being a smaller rally group. Additionally for this the first year is the added excitement of making landfall in a new destination. ARC+ St. Vincent yachts will depart from Mindelo on Sunday 25 November, the same day as the main ARC start from Las Palmas, ensuring there will be plenty of other yachts sailing the Atlantic at the same time.
Explore Cape Verdes
ARC + St. Vincent will also include a stopover in the Cape Verde Islands, giving participants the chance to explore a new archipelago, restock and regroup before heading out into the trade winds for the shorter Atlantic crossing to Blue Lagoon, St. Vincent.
Full Las Palmas Programme and a wonderful welcome to a new destination
ARC+ St. Vincent will enjoy the ARC+ programme of events and activities in Las Palmas before the start, as well as an additional four days before the start, during which there will be a farewell supper. A repeat of the ARC+ programme will be run in Mindelo, with tours, and other social activities to maximise the experience of the stopover.
Being a new destination a new programme of activities is being developed in St. Vincent which will have the full support of Blue Lagoon Marina and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority.
All other benefits of sailing with an ARC rally will remain the same, including pre-departure safety checks, weather forecasts at sea, satellite tracking of each boat during the crossing, intra-yacht radio net and communication with ARC rally control for safety and fleet support messages. There will be the usual fun competition in the Cruising Division, for which the ARC is well known, but there will not be an IRC Racing Division.
Entries are limited to 25 yachts in 2018 and those keen to pioneer the new route are encouraged to enter early to avoid disappointment!
Click here to view the full itinerary.
Click here to request an information pack.